The 16st 11lb man mountain has been lined up by coach Enio Sacilotto to beef up a rearguard that leaked 158 goals, more than any other Superleague team last season.

Gosselin, who will be 26 a week tomorrow, has had an impressive career, playing the majority of his games in the last five years in the American Hockey League.

And he is not afraid to visit the penalty box if he feels the occasion is warranted.

Selected by New Jersey Devils in the 1994 NHL draft, Gosselin made his AHL debut with Fredericton Canadiens before suffering a bad knee injury.

After being signed as a free agent by San Jose Sharks in 1998, he iced for their AHL farm team Kentucky Thoroughblades, amassing an incredible 558 penalty minutes in just three seasons.

Last summer he was traded to a third NHL club, New York Rangers, who sent him out to their minor league affiliates Charlotte Checkers in the East Coast Hockey League and AHL club Hartford Wolf Pack.

Now he is considering his first move to Europe and has been in lengthy contract talks with Bees.

Negotiations are already at an advanced stage and Sacilotto revealed that if Gosselin is to come to Britain then it will happen soon.

"I can't hang around forever," said Bees boss, who only recently missed out on signing Dion Darling, one of Gosselin's ex-team-mates.

Darling played alongside Gosselin and ex-Bee Jimmy Drolet for Fredericton four years ago.

But he decided against coming to the John Nike Leisuresport Complex, opting for Bees' Superleague rivals Sheffield Steelers instead.

Sacilotto, though, insists he still has plenty of possible targets.

Bees' boss is sure to be interested in Ryan Risidore, another 6ft 5in blue-liner, unlikely to be returning to Scottish Eagles who are re-locating from Ayr to Braehead, just outside Glasgow.

Sacilotto was close to bringing Risidore to the Hive last year before he opted to go to Scotland.

Risidore was a highly-valued member of an Eagles defence that had the second best record in Superleague last season. Only champions Belfast Giants conceded fewer goals as Ayr took runners-up spot.

It is also around this time of year that several of the better quality players, who have been hanging on in vain for offers from the more lucrative German league, begin to lower their demands and consider coming to Britain.

Meanwhile, ex-Bee Jason Mansoff has been released by play-off winners Sheffield. Sacilotto revealed that he was interested in Mansoff but added that Nottingham Panthers, another of his former clubs, look favourites to sign him.